This past week, Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and faithful member of the Church, formally launched a presidential exploration committee, the first step in pursuing a candidacy (see
Salt Lake Tribune ? January 4, 2007). Several months ago, in a column in the Metrowest Daily News (a Massachusetts newspaper), Frank Mazzaglia wrote, "Two questions are certain to come up again and again during the upcoming political season. The first is, can a Mormon be elected president of the United States? The second is, just what is a Mormon?"
In recent weeks, the question about whether a Mormon can be elected to the highest office in the land has come up several times (see
America's first Mormon president? ? Newsweek or
Is America ready for a Mormon president? ? Reuters). Just this past week, Susan Estrich wrote a column titled
The Mormon Question and asked again, ?is American ready for a Mormon president??
The Romney candidacy has people and the press asking about Mormons. As members of the Church, we need to be prepared to answer the questions that will surely arise and be ready to deal with common misconceptions.
I have been surprised that some of these misconceptions still exist. Two recent conversations left me stunned that some educated American's still believe that plural marriage is still part of the Church and is legal in Utah. I can understand some of the misconceptions that arise from Church history, but to believe that polygamy is practiced by a major American faith in the 21st Century is amazing.
How do we answer the questions that are sure to arise because of Mitt Romney?s candidacy? The most important thing that we can do is continue our daily study of the scriptures. As we do so, prayerfully, we more fully comprehend the doctrines of the kingdom and are touched by the influence of the Holy Ghost.
In addition to our study of the scriptures, I think it is important to understand Church history. There are many wonderful books available on Church history that can help us understand our incredible heritage. I recently completed Joseph Smith - The First Mormon by Donna Hill. As well as a biography about the Prophet, it was a great review of Church history to the time of his martyrdom. I am currently reading Richard R. Bushman?s acclaimed history of Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling. It is a wonderful read.
There might also be questions about our history and doctrine to which we may not have answers. The easy answer today is to "Google it." Be careful of which websites you use. There are a multitude of anti-LDS websites that contain erroneous information. The Church's website at
LDS.org contains an amazing amount of great information.
FARMS (Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies) at BYU is a wonderful resource for information about the scriptures. The
FAIR (Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research) website contains numerous articles that respond to challenges about LDS doctrine and history.
I think these questions can be a wonderful opportunity to share the message of the Restored Gospel. Will we be prepared? What other suggestions do you have?
Read the original "Gospel Doctrine Class" post here.
The Mormon Question
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